Delegates

I rise to support this urgency motion because this is not something that is happening somewhere else.

It is happening in our towns. It is happening in our regions. And it is happening right now. 

In the Hunter, I hear the frustration every single day. 

People are worried about the cost of living. They are worried about whether their kids will find a home.  They are worried about jobs and whether their community has a future. And when people are worried, when they feel like they are not being heard, when they feel left behind, that’s when the far right steps in.

They turn up with simple slogans and someone to blame. They tell people that government does not care.  They tell people that nothing will ever change.  They tell people that the system is broken and the only answer is anger.

Delegates, we cannot ignore that. Because when we do, we create space for parties like One Nation to grow in country communities. We know that regional seats are especially vulnerable.  We know that places like the Hunter, like the Central West, like the Riverina, like the North Coast, are being targeted.

The Hunter is the only federal seat where we are 2 party preferred with One Nation. And the way we push back is not by yelling louder. It’s by showing up.

In the Hunter, that’s what I am focused on every single day.  We are fighting for more bulk billing so families can see a GP without pulling out a credit card. We are backing local jobs as our energy industry changes so workers at places like our miners at Myuna know they have a future. We are investing in housing so young tradies in towns like Kurri Kurri and Singleton can afford to stay where they grew up. We are delivering real cost of living relief for working people.  Because when Labor delivers for regional communities, the far right has less room to move.

Delegates, this is not just about one election cycle.  This is about trust. We must keep doing the hard work of listening to our communities.  We must keep turning up at footy clubs, Men’s Sheds, school P and Cs and local markets.  We must keep explaining what we are doing and why it matters. And we must keep backing our branches and campaigns with the research and tools they need to stand up to misinformation and fear campaigns.

Regional NSW deserves hope, not division. It deserves practical solutions, not empty slogans. And it deserves a Labor movement that is willing to fight for the future of country communities every single day. 

Delegates, that is how we combat the rise of the far right.  Thank you and I commend the motion to the floor.